Avon Grove School Board prepares student athletic policy

PENN >> School is not open yet, but student athletes are already getting ready for the fall season with practices and training camps.

As they do, the Avon Grove School Board is starting work on changing district Policy 123 on Interscholastic Athletics.

At the August 14 meeting, the school board approved a waiver to a portion of the school policy on student athletics to allow the athletic director to reschedule games or practises to Sunday without getting board approval first.

“Particularly last year, with the hard winter, a number of games and practices had to be rescheduled,” explained Superintendent Michael Marchese for the change.

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One question from the audience asked if a student missing a practice or game on a Sunday for religious reasons would be treated the same as missing a game or practice during the week.

“It would be handled in the same manner if a student missed school for religious reasons, they would not be penalized,” Marchese said.

The district is looking to modernize other policies as well. .

Among them is a revision that addresses video surveillance. For the new school year, there will video cameras on the school buses.

“This is to address the potential bullying area and I think it’s very important we do this to bring us up to snuff,” board member William Sites said.

A number of other security upgrades have been made during the summer, including fencing around the modular classrooms at Avon Grove High School and Fred S Engle Middle School.

In other business the board announced the completion of a contract between the district and the Avon Grove Support Professionals Association. The group represents approximately 120 instructional aides, cafeteria workers, maintenance workers and food service personnel. The new one year contract includes a 2.3 percent wage increase but does not make any changes to health benefits.